My spirit animal is a F–Rank gecko-Chapter 39: Reunion (2)

Everyone gathered around Jaster’s hospital bed. They took the chairs and sat while eating their hearts out.

"So.... You’re telling me—you encountered one of the Brokers?" Reza asked Jaster while chewing his food.

Karina smacked him right in the head.

"Hey! Don’t talk when your mouth is full!"

Jaster chuckled, seeing the two.

"Yeah... He was extremely scary.." Jaster remembered the blind mercenary’s overwhelming strength.

He was good at almost everything, now that Jaster noticed.

Alexander never once used his skill unless it was the Tremor Sense one. Other than that, he purely fought the student council president with his own raw strength.

Jaster knew that he’d come across the Brokers again later on. That’s always the plot of a game.

But he brushed off that negative thought, since the only thing Jaster should focus on right now was—

"Hey.." Jaster asked everyone.

"Is there any news about the debate for the next student council president?"

The room went silent after he said that. Jay accidentally coughed up the chicken he just ate.

"Uhh... There is, but... It’s not looking too good, honestly..." Ivy answered Jaster, her eyes looked disappointed.

"What do you mean?" Jaster asked Ivy.

Since he just got the Act 1 quest, now he’d need to decide which candidate he wanted to support.

But since he’d been away for a month, following the game timeline, he now only had three more months to help his candidate until election day.

"Well... Do you know Elaine and Meryl?"

Karina asked Jaster, her expression looked serious.

"Yeah.... Those two are the candidates for the next student council president.. Did something happen?"

Karina’s eyes wandered off while she thought of a way to explain it to Jaster.

"Jaster’s been away for a long time. How about we just tell him all the stuff that happened at the academy?"

Jay suggested, and everyone agreed.

"So, Jaster—" Karina held his hands, making him even more nervous.

"Here’s what happened while you were gone....."

---

1 Month Ago

A day after the special bond exam ended, the news about the Broker’s massacre had begun spreading everywhere throughout Boundara.

All the surviving students bid their utmost respect to the 380 kids that passed away.

All of Jaster’s team went to the funeral. All of them wore formal attire for the funeral while sitting together.

There were pictures of all the dead students on display. Their smiles and the gleam in their eyes were forever stuck in a photo.

Hundreds of parents cried their hearts out while the priest gave his speeches.

The parents who thought that their kids were finally going to have an easier future by going to the best academy—turns out, that future was dead.

Reza, however, wasn’t a fan of the church. He kept accidentally falling asleep.

Karina smacked the back of his head every time he fell asleep.

"Oww... Karina, that hurt!"

"Shush! I know you’re an atheist. But can you be more respectful for once!"

Reza didn’t argue with Karina. He just looked directly at the priest. He saw the priest had the same cross necklace as Benjamin.

Turns out, the priest giving his prayer in front of the pulpit was Benjamin’s dad.

Ben’s ancestors had been tied to Christianity even during the Titan Era.

So his father was pretty well known in Boundara.

Reza took a glance at Ben. He was at the very front, with Anastasia beside him.

Reza sighed.

Why do you have to be religious....I would’ve made you my boyfriend...

Reza was sad that he had lost the opportunity to get along with a cute boy.

---

After everything finished, all of the students’ families stood up and bid farewell to their kids.

Jaster’s group was outside the church. Ivy stretched her arms while yawning.

"I haven’t been to church in a very long time. My back hurts...." Ivy rubbed her back while asking Jay to massage it.

"Well, I haven’t been to one either! So it was interesting to see!" Jay said while massaging Ivy’s back.

Karina laughed at Ivy and Jay, but then she noticed Reza’s sour mood.

She playfully punched his shoulder.

"What’s up, dude? Why are you looking so gloomy?"

Reza rubbed his shoulder while his eyes tightened.

"Nothing... It’s just, going to churches reminds me of my childhood..."

Now that Karina thought about it, she hadn’t heard Reza talk about his past at all.

He always got defensive whenever someone brought it up.

But she didn’t want to be nosy. If Reza didn’t want to talk about his past, then that was his choice.

She locked her arm around his neck.

"Anyway, let’s go get something to eat! I’m so hungry!" Karina said to the group.

Everyone nodded and agreed on a place they should have dinner.

Just as they were about to leave, a girl came up to them.

She was wearing a formal funeral attire with a veiled hat that slightly covered her eyes.

She had dark teal hair color, while slightly smiling.

"Hello everyone! May I spare you all some of your time..." The girl said.

Karina, curious about what the girl would say, replied.

"Sure."

The girl thanked them and introduced herself.

"Hi, I’m Elaine Graham. I’m a second-year student at Boundspire. I wanted to give you this."

Elaine handed a poster to Karina.

She took it, while all of the group leaned in to see what it was.

The poster said there would be an upcoming presidential student election in about four months.

And the poster was telling them to vote for the candidate Elaine Graham, a Class C student.

Karina looked dumbfounded. She was confused why this girl was promoting herself at a funeral ceremony right now.

Elaine noticed Karina’s slight stiffened expression.

"Oh please, don’t get the wrong idea!" She tried to explain herself.

"I’m incredibly devastated seeing the latest news about the Broker massacre. That’s why I decided to change my previous manifesto."

Everyone looked intrigued; they kept listening to Elaine.

"So I dug up some more info and found out that the only reason the Brokers managed to get into the school was because our school refused to pay for Tatharen’s defense barrier!"

Karina’s eyes shot up.

Tatharen. A nation located in a desolate desert in Boundara.

The weather there is extremely harsh, with many evil spirits lingering inside the thick constant sandstorm.

To protect their people against the evil spirit and harsh environment. Tatharen invented a defensive barrier that could even withstand thousands of nuclear bombs.

The group was now more intrigued than ever.

"So.. What are you proposing?" Jay asked Elaine.

She cleared her throat and looked at them with a serious expression.

"Here’s my plan...."